♪ what did we learn on the show tonight, craig? ♪ ♪ [laughter] craig: well, the show is running five minutes long. so we had better get this wrapped up pretty quickly, geoff. geoff: you want to do the thing? craig: sure. you start. geoff: all right.

damn it, jim. this is not a smoke detectivor. this is an entity! [laughter] craig: change -- the batteries -- geoff: why don't you just go to williamshatner.com for crying out loud! craig: good night, everybody!

good evening, good friday evening. it is cold out there. the temperatures are still hovering around freezing. >> and you have to be careful. what can we expect overnight and again in the morning? >> early morning is going to be a problem. the winter weather advisories

have been expanded. it includes the district, montgomery county, prince georges county, anne arundel county. i agree with most of the expansion, not a huge problem east of 95. but north and west, temperatures are still at or below freezing and the main concern is not so much main roads, but secondary roads and your porch and patio. the roads may look wet, but it's frozen. i would keep this in mind. temperatures still 30 in gaithersburg. 32 in frederick. 32 in leesburg. it is 34 downtown. so south of town, we're in pretty good shape. the district north, not so much. so, wake up weather, 6:00, be careful getting the paper in the morning. temperatures 30 to 36. drizzle 8:00 and at 10:00, light rain and showers. 36 to 42. we'll be out of the woods by 10:00. we'll talk about a coastal storm that will generate more rain. we'll tell you what that means all weekend or if we'll salvage half of the weekend.

>> six days, one hour, that's how much time remains before all those across the board automatic spending cuts, better known as sequestration will hit the federal government, the american economy, and you. >> the obama administration continues its very public campaign to force republicans in congress to cut a deal to avoid it and stage the pr campaign on several fronts today. gary scrambles to keep up. he begins our team coverage tonight. gary. >> reporter: if it's friday, it must be governors, cabinet members, and the president itself urging members to pass to push sequestration back a couple months. republicans are keeping a lower protile and not budging, with one notable exception. >> i would describe my presence with one word, republican. they are hoping i can influence some of the people in my own party. >> ray louisiana hood ray

lahood said it would mean a reported one day per pay period. >> in some cases, it could be as many as two days. >> with flight delays and cancellations assured. >> it's going to be very painful for the flying public. >> joined the drum beat, blaming the congress. >> the sequestration is a job killer. >> the dark need is going over our head as we speak. >> some of the jobs in the meat and poultry industry, estimating the $2 billion sequestration cut would mean furloughs for a third of its workers, including all food inspectors, the secretary is withinning congress of a nationwide shutdown, costing business $10 billion, employees $400 million in lost pay and consumers higher meat prices at the store. some republican lawmakers think that is chicken, something, house majority leader, quote, president obama said he will

force criminals loose on the street, the meat won't be inspected and emergency responders will be unable to do their jobs. these are false choices. >> we have to persuade members of congress. >> the president is on the road. >> so, what i need listeners to do more than anything is put pressure on congress. >> on the radio. >> people wait until the 11th hour to solve these big problems. >> on tv and in the oval, pushing his alternative plans. >> we have more strategic cuts on programs we don't need and we close some tax loopholes that are taken advantage of by the well connected. >> the president made some progress with that argument. a poll showing 49% of those surveyed saying the automatic cuts should be delayed if there is no deal. but it also shows he has some convincing to do. 40% responding, they believe sequestration should happen. six days, lesli. >> six short days, that's right, gary.

economists and politicians have been saying for years that small businesses are key to the american economic recovery. but sequestration could smack small businesses hard. costing them billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs. bruce leshan says looming budget cuts already have one local business leader rethinking his hiring plan. >> it's been a horrible four years. >> andy stern loved selling office furniture. >> chairs feel differently for different people. >> before the great recession, he sold $8 million a year from four locations across the region. >> i've been in business 36 years now and these last four years are the worst i have ever seen. >> the recession cut his sales in half. >> you didn't make any money for a year. fernando: >> no. >> he had to lay off one of 11 employees, worst thing he has ever done. >> this is an amazing product. >> sales are finally starting to pick back up. >> the last several months, we

have been thinking about that. >> hiring somebody? >> yes. >> and with this? >> no way. >> federal plans for billions in across the board spending cuts reversed what had been slowly growing confidence among millions of small businesses. >> this, i think, puts a big wall up between that. >> there are 130,000 federal workers in maryland alone. at facilities like the massive fda headquarters in rockville. now those workers could be looking at furloughs that would cost them as much as 20% of their pay. >> this is a meat act. >> stern does worry about the federal debt. but he says sequestration is the wrong way to deal with it. >> you can't just sort of slash across the board. no business does that. no one just says, all right, i'm going to cut everything 10%. you aren't going to cut your best salesman back 10%. >> that's bad business.

and bad government. in rockville, bruce leshan, wusa9. here at wusa9, we started a petition. we are asking, should congress face penalties if they lead to sequestration? if you want to weigh in, here's what you do, go to our website, you'll find the petition on our home page. new tonight at 11:00, an arrest in connection with that fire in southeast d.c. that killed a four-year-old little girl. today, 46-year-old jerome lewis, who escaped that burning home was charged with the murder of jenkins and officials say the investigation continues. and we also learned a fire that killed two little girls and their dad in glenn arden was caused by an electrical problem. that one has been ruled an accident. it broke out on lesli avenue. the 11-year-old is still alive. his wife and another child survived. the mother and sister of murder victim, yeardley love, are on a mission. they want to help women escape

the dangers of dating violence. yeardley was killed by her boyfriend, george huguely, in her room at the university of virginia. her family says they missed the danger signs and now they helped develop a new app that can help point to those signs. did you feel controlled by your partner? do fights become physical? their free app shows where you can get help right away. to learn about it and more of the family's one love foundation, visit our website, wusa9.com. trayvon martin's mom is in town and this evening she attended a tribute to her son. heritage christian academy put on what they call, we won't let you fail, a tribute to trayvon martin. tuesday marks the one year anniversary of his death. he was shot by neighborhood watch captain, george zimmerman. zimmerman claims it was in self- defense. he goes on trial later this year. sexting is not just a problem among teenagers. the fbi admits it is dealing

with a rash of these cases within the bureau itself. internal reports published by cnn show the fbi documented cases where employees sent nude pictures to coworkers. other offenses listed, bureau employees drinking and driving, looking at child pornography, even paying for sexual services at a massage parlor. all the employees found guilty of that sort of misconduct were suspended or fired. tis the season for home improvement and one maryland woman had planned to upgrade her home with a call to a local blinds company. >> now, nine months later as she layed out in her complaint to the maryland state attorney general, she left without her window treatment and without a refund worth thousands of dollars. >> tell me what you were going do. >> i want all wood shutters. >> renee tyler had big plans. she wanted to start with her

windows. she started with the budget blinds. >> i saw the website and everything and likely to have nice designs and stuff. >> renee wanted wood shutters, but franchise owner convinced her to go for vinyl. so on april 30, she paid alrich more than $5200. the next day she changed her mind and sent this cancellation by priority mail. this tracking notice confirms the cancellation notice was delivered on may 3. >> mr. alrich received it within the three days. >> that three-day period is key because according to the contract renee signed, she had three days to change her mind and get a full refund. what's more, the federal trade commission has what's called a three-day cooling off rule. that means if you buy an item in your home, you have the right to cancel that order three days after the sale. even if you invited the salesperson into your home.

>> based on the information, it looks like the company failed to honor their obligation to cancel the order. >> we asked better business bureau to review renee's document. he saw that ailrich cashed her check the same day she placed the order. >> they should know that this doesn't become effective until the three-day cooling off period has taken place. >> at the core of the dispute, is this handwritten line on the notice of cancellation. it reads quote, i would like wood shutters, not mdf vinyl for kitchen and bath. >> i was explaning why i was canceling. >> but allrich disagrees. he said he didn't receive the cancellation notice and told mediators the bbb, and call for action, that he believed the note was a change to the order, not a cancellation. instead, he offered to replace

it with the wood shutters. renee wanted him to honor the cancellation request. the maryland consumer protection division advised renee that they were unable to resolve her complaint and if she wanted to pursue it, she should consider legal action. >> we just want to talk to you about renee tyler and her budget blinds order. >> no one answered the door when we tried to get answers, but someone inside closed the blinds. ailrich did call us back and said he made an offer to renee's attorney, but not the offer renee wants. >> i would like to be reimbursed of my money. as stipulated in the contract. >> not what you intended to see when you came into your kitchen? >> absolutely not. >> now renee tyler received an offer, but she would have to agree to seek not to have her story aired. renee declined the offer.

she wants all her money without any strings attached. let's talk about ways for you to protect your investment. before you enter into a contract, think twice about paying the full amount up front. you want to think in the rule of thirds. you pay a third when you order, a third mid way through and a third when the job is done. we can't say this enough, do your homework before you allow a company to come into your home. if you want our wusa9 call for action team to help you, you can call us at 301-652- help, or go online to wusa9.com and click the wusa9 call for action link at the top of the page. great advice, lesli. still ahead, we go behind the scenes of "lincoln," for the inspiring story behind some of the actors you may not know. and if you're going out later tonight, be careful. freezing rain makes spots very slick tonight. top will be back to tell you

about that and what

we all heard of the tough road actors make. >> well most of those stories don't hold a candle to the one deborah tells us tonight, starring modern-day, real life heros earning well deserved props on the big screen. >> they serve their country, made big sacrifices, now they are getting screen time. they made their movie debut in "lincoln," now time for their closeup. >> in steven spielberg's, "lincoln," tours the civil war battlefield. while daniel day lewis was only playing the president, some of the movie soldiers weren't just acting. >> john. >> two years after losing his legs in an ied explosion, joey jones was one of three veterans

cast in the acclaimed movie. >> as a georgia boy, you are intimidated by hollywood. >> spielberg wanted real military amputees for this crucial scene where lincoln visits the hospital. >> before they shot the scene, steven spielberg came in. i don't know -- i got the impression he was positioning us to where the veterans would be closest to the camera. >> jones shot three scenes, you can only see him in this one. his one line. >> president john. >> i've seen you before. >> the president is going to come in and we are going to say hello to you and greet you like he did in the war. >> just six seconds, but it left an impression. >> i've had dinner with president obama. when daniel walked in the room, i think that in my mind, i got more of the feeling of respect for president, for at least five minutes i shook president lincoln's hand. >> it would become a friendship between the young marine and the actor.

>> once the camera crew left, he was daniel day lewis and we spoke and he was probably the nicest celebrity i have ever met. >> lewis came to jones' wedding. >> there were a few jokes because i have met president obama and him. >> who is your favorite president? >> i will settle on theodore roosevelt. lincoln is up for best picture and best actor this sunday at the oscars. back to you guys. >> lewis came to his wedding, that's a big deal. >> real heros in that movie were the heros that debra just told us about. incredible. >> absolutely. good movie. >> fantastic movie. daniel day lewis got into it. >> he is an incredible actor. wow. >> all right, the winter weather advisory has been expanded and we'll show you northwest, just a little bit of icing. you'll see the freezing drizzle

falling. if it falls lightly, it has a chance to freeze, even though it's close to freezing. on railings and decks and patios. there you go. that's what happened here in northwest. do take it easy if you are trying to get the paper tomorrow morning. okay, take a live look outside to our michael and son weather cam. we're looking at temperatures 34 downtown. some light drizzle. dew point is 30, which means there is wiggle room. the temperature goes down a degree or two before the night is out. winds southeasterly and the pressure is falling at 30.25. and it is going to do that because we have another storm headed our way. this looks impressive. rain into east tennessee. this is going to race up, give us a glancing blow, so nothing heavy tonight and nothing really heavy tomorrow, for that matter. be careful walking in the early morning. your deck, patio, or porch could have a thin film of ice and light rain or showers on saturday, but the coastal storm, not the heavy rain we hoped for. we need to get rain in the bank before we get into spring and

certainly before summer. overnight, freezing light rain or drizzle. plain old light rain or drizzle south and east of town. and winds easterly at 5 to 10. now tomorrow morning, mostly cloudy, breezy, cold, light rain or showers. 30s and 40s and winds out of the east at 10. by afternoon, light rain or showers, should taper off by late afternoon, certainly by evening. high temperatures near 45 and the winds will shift as they become northwesterly and that will signal the dryer air rolling in and signal the passage of the cold front as low pressure pulling away from us. with tomorrow, we have saturday as a yellow alert day. we haven't changed that at all. light rain and showers after icy patches. very nice on sunday. we're looking at temperatures near 50. some clouds to start. maybe slow to clear saturday night into sunday morning, but we'll salvage a nice day. on monday, pleasant, temperatures around 50. clouds come in late. the next seven days, clouds on monday, well they lead to

showers on tuesday and rain and showers, too, back in the 40s. wednesday, pretty nice. and then well, we kind of close february and go into march and a chilly note. a few wet snow flakes falling. flurries on thursday and friday of next week. >> see you, winter. >> bye-bye winter, hello wizards. >> on a jump shot, too. we don't see that too much. until tonight. if you want to see drive around town and get a full serving of d.c. sports, here's what i'm talking about. first at the verison center. takes the elevator up. he was okay. that's good news. then over at the armory. we'll give you that coming

now, here's dave owens at the wusa9 cadillac sports desk. >> hey, don't look at the

standings. don't look at the standings. the wizards play on the court much better than their overall record would indicate. denver in the house tonight. speed and points promised in this one. nothing beats the kiss cam. that guy right there is doing okay, but that lady say, no, i'm not getting next to you. not with those dentures, you're not. martell webster, late in the game, final seconds. talk to the hand. washington had blocked eight shots tonight. still a two-point game. john wall -- how about that? 14 points to go. the wizards win 119-113. >> for our group, these guys, to beat these guys twice is an accomplishment for our guys. as we said, you know, i think if we can continue to understand how we have to play

night in and night out. >> wizards playing better basketball. peterson back in action after a 14 month layoff. lost one of his belts, but look at the mayor in the background. he likes it. he likes it. later on, peter peterson did test positive for one thing, hands of steal. peterson defending the one title he has left with an eight- round knockout. hands of steel, no one got that. jason worth isn't always cheery with the media, but today he got a case of loose lips during the media session. he told reports that the meltdown last season in gave five of the nlds was not a lack of execution, he was also dealing with back spasms. he has never used that as an excuse. another player looking for a fresh start. danny had a horrible year last year. a nightmare. led the team in strikeouts, but

he's a great interview and we asked him last week about a bounce back year and he was candid about his mental approach. >> i enjoy playing baseball. i'm my toughest critic at the same time. that's one thing i thought about that i need to stop doing. i need to stop being so hard on myself. i'll hold myself to a certain standard, but the beating myself up after the game, beating myself up in the offseason, that had to stop. >> all right. here we go. high school game of the week, rockville, that's rockville's assistant coach talking to her players, but bernard comes battling down and she scores, but the bank is open tonight, gang. she goes off glass. she has 15. lancers advance 61-26. wow. >> you liked that block. >> i did like that block.

he rejected that. >> your manuscript -- >> i did, and you didn't leave me room. >> we didn't know you could hold a tune, either. >> really? you know all the time that he does do that. >> it's much better than some of the other voices i hear near my cubical. >> i don't know